A woman who agreed to take a baby elephant from a zoo during WWII to protect it from bombing is being sought.

The mystery "Elephant Angel" cared for the animal, named Sheila, in her back yard as the Belfast Blitz unfolded in 1941.

Public safety fears saw 23 animals at the city's zoo killed in case they escaped and hurt members of the public, says The Telegraph. However, Sheila was taken to a nearby home where she was given sanctuary until the blitz ended.

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Belfast Zoo is now celebrating its 75th anniversary and hopes to identify the Elephant Angel as part of its celebrations. Zoo manager Mark Challis said: "The care provided by our mystery lady is unique to zoo history and we would like to make contact with her family and properly document this gap in our past."